Colorado Politics – The Year of the Independent

Colorado’s million plus unaffiliated voters can become a major factor in the June party primaries for the first time in history. Candidates in both parties have motivation to take advantage of the new law that gets every unaffiliated a primary ballot.

The just completed elections, especially in Virginia, rewarded the candidates who ran a campaign against the strident tone and political gridlock of Washington D.C. Colorado’s independent voters have anti-establishment elements and in general believe both parties are bankrupt. Beside the primaries, they may become the force for independent-type candidates in next November’s general election. The following column was published in the state’s leading political website, Colorado Politics:

The year of the independent

America’s two major political parties are under assault. The 2016 election was a shock for both party’s establishments, and they haven’t recovered. The divisions highlighted in the 2016 primaries are now becoming exacerbated by insurgent groups wanting to take complete control.

As the parties spend time and resources on their internal wars, this may be the year for independent voters and candidates to make a difference. Colorado’s gubernatorial race will be a good test case. The largest partisan bloc in the state is independents and it’s growing. But historically, participation by independents has been low. As unaffiliated voters, they’ve been mostly thought of as an add-on after the parties’ respective partisan bases have been motivated. But several factors suggest 2018 could be different. Read more…